Mamma Mia, Avengers!
by PassionatelyHiddlestoned
Summary: Natasha Romanoff is marrying Clint Barton in three days, with her friends Jane and Darcy by her side. Her single mother, Pepper, also invites her two friends, Betty and Peggy. But Natasha and her friends find Pepper's journal, revealing the nights she spent with a Tony, Steve, and Bruce, and Natasha invites all three in hope of finding her real dad. Will the plan backfire? Romancex
1. Chapter 1

21 year old Natasha Romanoff sighed as she closed her eyes, standing at the edge of the dock. The warm sea breeze blew through her short red hair. She stared out to the water surrounding their beautiful island home/hotel. She gripped the journal in her hand, and stuffed it down the back pocket of her denim capris.

She had been living here with her single mother, Pepper Potts, for many years now, helping her out with the business. She didn't know who her dad was, since he had run off many years ago. But she was okay, she didn't have any daddy issues or anything. She and her mom had fun together. But at the back of her mind, Natasha had a growing curiosity to figure out who her dad really was…

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a high pitched voice squealed from behind her. "NAT?!" Natasha turned, to see her two best friends, Darcy Lewis and Jane Foster. She grinned, and ran toward them. They ran to her, and they had a tight group hug. They did their weird little secret handshake, and jumped around like little girls.

"Oh my god! Nat, you look so good, so happy!" said Jane, pushing her straight light brown hair behind her ear. Natasha smiled. "So do you!" Darcy playfully punched her in the arm. "It's been too long, Spidergirl, we miss you on the mainland!" Spidergirl was Natasha's nickname, since she seemed to love anything to do with arachnids.

Natasha put one arm around each friend's shoulder, and they started walking into the forest. She had invited them for her wedding, which was only three days away. "I still couldn't believe it when you said you were getting married," Darcy continued, pushing her square rimmed glasses up further on her nose and adjusting her beanie, "We always thought you'd be the last one to marry!"

Natasha was a rather indecisive person, and was determined to wait for just the right guy to come along. And he did. She had met a man named Clint Barton, full of adventure and ambition. They were perfect for each other.

"I just wish I had a perfect fiancé like yours…. Or at least a boyfriend," Jane pouted. "Oh, Jane, it'll come soon enough." Jane nodded. She had always been the boy-crazy one. Darcy… well, Darcy pretended not to care one way or another, but Jane and Natasha both knew she was a hopeless romantic.

Darcy noticed the small journal sticking out of Natasha's back pocket. "What's this?" she asked, plucking it out. Natasha's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah, I meant to tell you guys! I found this in my mom's room! I know, I know, I shouldn't have been poking around, but it's from when she was younger. I think this book is the key to finding out who my real dad is!"

Jane squealed excitedly, taking the book from Darcy. "Boy, Pepper is going to be so pissed at you when she finds out you have this!" "**If** she finds out I have this!" Ha! Here, lemmee read!" She flipped it open.

They started skipping through the woods by the ocean. Jane started reading in a mock lovey dovey voice. "August 5th. I met these men. These three men." She stopped, and they all went 'ooooh!' "They are all very different, and I fell for all of them. Hard." Natasha's mouth opened. "This is crazy!" Jane nodded, and continued. "The thing is, it got kind of… complicated. I think any one of them could be Natasha's real dad."

At this, they all screamed and jumped around, flapping their arms. "Okay, okay, keep reading," Darcy prompted.

"First, there was Steve. Steve was so sweet, and a real gentleman. He always looked out for me, and was the protective kind of guy. He took me for a moonlight walk. He's so handsome… one thing led to another, and, dot dot dot!"

"What?" "That's what is says, dot dot dot!" "Oh my god! AH! Keep going."

"Ahem. So then there was Bruce," Jane said as they walked, elevating her tone as she said the possible dad's name. "Bruce is so smart, he's a scientist. But he's also caring, and loves me for who I am. He's laid back, and very chilled out. He took me for a ride in his boat. He's so sweet… one thing led to another, and, dot dot dot!"

"That dot dot dot again!" Natasha said, laughing as they circled around. "Alright, I really wanna know who the last guy is now…" Darcy said, peeking into the book, and Jane snatched it back. "Last but definitely not least…. **Tony**," They all 'oohed' again, "was a cool inventor that I met in a restaurant. He's adventurous, he's funny, and best of all, he's 'drop dead gorgeous.'" She put air quotes around the description. They all giggled. "He took me paragliding. So, one thing led to another, and,"

"DOT DOT DOT!" They all yelled together. Natasha laughed. "Well, there's three of them… Who do you think it was?" "I think it was Bruce," offered Darcy. "But she did call Tony 'drop dead gorgeous,' remember?" reminded Jane. "But she seemed to like how protective Steve was…" added Natasha.

They all stopped to think. "I know! I'll invite all of them to the wedding!" Jane's eyes widened, and Darcy snorted. "If you did that, it would be death by Pepper!" Natasha grinned slyly. "Who said Pepper had to know?" They all gave her looks of disbelief. "You are devious!" shouted Darcy.

"I have to do this. You guys understand. I have to know who my real dad is. I've been waiting for this chance my whole life. And now is the perfect opportunity, to invite my dad to my wedding!"

Her friends nodded understandingly. Darcy linked her arm with Natasha's. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. We'll do anything to help." "But how are you going to do it?" Jane asked, "The three men don't even know you exist!"

"This is where it gets even better. I'm signing the letters as Pepper, so they come thinking it was her who invited them!" "Oh, you really are evil with a good cause."

They began walking up the many steps to their huge place, stepping on the cobblestone stairs. "Quick! There's Pepper! Hide the journal!" Natasha shoved the book back into her pocket and pulled her shirt down. "Hello, girls! Pepper shouted as she hugged each of them tightly. "Hey!" Darcy said, and Jane said, "Hi!"

"Well, it's great to see you two again! Natasha sure has missed you!" "Oh, we've heard," smirked Darcy. They started walking backward toward the home, giggling to themselves as they looked at Pepper. Pepper stared back at them weirdly, but just laughed and turned back around.

When the three 21 year old friends got upstairs, Natasha pulled out the accessories she was planning to wear at the wedding. "Simply gorgeous, dear," Jane said, twirling Natasha's locks of hair. "Yeah, these are really pretty!" Darcy said, fiddling with a crystal flower hair clip.

"And this," Natasha said as she pulled something out, "Is the dress!" They gasped. "The dress! AH!" They admired it.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Clint came in. They all screamed, pushing him away. "You can't see the bride's dress before the wedding!" Jane squealed. Darcy shoved him playfully. "Get out, Clint!" They had known him when they were younger.

Clint laughed, and covered his eyes. "Relax, relax girls, I'm just here to get my stuff I left in here for the bachelor party!" He playfully grabbed a cigar and a party hat. They laughed, and Natasha kissed him on the cheek as Darcy and Jane pushed him out. He chuckled, and jogged away.

"Geez. Men," said Darcy with a sigh. They all did a mock sigh, then burst out laughing. "Nat, we are so happy for you," said Jane as they all sat down on the edge of the bed. Darcy nodded furiously. "Thanks guys. It's great to have you back," said Natasha through a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper was walking down the steps, still wondering what the girls were up to. She knew those mischievous faces, she had seen them since they were kids. She shook her head, smiling. She set down the basket she was carrying, wiped her brow, and ran her weary hands through her ginger hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Just then, a hand who worked at the hotel came up to her. "Your friends are here, ma'am." Pepper's face lit up, and she took off running in her bare feet and denim short shorts.

She made it through the pathways in the forest in her jeep, and jumped out onto the dock where a boat from the mainland had arrived.

"Pepper!" they screeched. One woman got out, and they came running at each other screaming. They hugged. "Betty! Oh, it's so good to see you guys!" The first friend, Betty Ross, looked taken aback. "Good? Girl, we haven't seen you in so long, I'd have thought more like 'It's fabulously magnificent to see you!' would be more appropriate!" Pepper laughed at her over the top friend. "That too. Where's Peggy?"

Betty snorted, and motioned to the boat, where their British friend was getting out of the boat slowly as not to break her heels. Betty finally called out to her. "Oh, forget the shoes, Peg, come here!" Peggy looked up, and grinned. Her short brown curls bounced as she ran over, finally kicking off her shoes.

"Pep! You look amazing, how are you? We are going to have some fun times!" Pepper smiled. "I'm great. Thanks for coming for Natasha's wedding!"

Betty hopped into the back of the jeep and threw back her head, long black hair swinging. She draped her legs over the seats. "I can't believe little Nat is getting married! I remember just yesterday, when she was running around playing-" "Oh, Betty, she's grown up now, and into a fine young woman at that!" Peggy said.

"I'm so proud of her. I'm gonna miss her so much…" Pepper said as she and Peggy got into the car. She started to fake-cry, and Peggy put her arm around her, squeezing her playfully. "All birds must fly the nest one day!"

Pepper laughed. "I just wish that day wasn't in three days!"

She put on some music, their favourite CD, and they all began singing at the top of their lungs, practically screaming the words as they floored it back toward home.

When they got back, they saw Natasha talking with her friends. "Nat! Oh, Nat it is so good to see you," said Betty as she ran over to Natasha, pulling her into a hug. "It's good to see you too, Aunt Betty!" Peggy got out. "Natasha! You remember me, don't you?" Natasha smiled widely. "Of course I do, Auntie Peggy!" They hugged.

Natasha's friends waved hello, and they all got back to what they were doing.

They went up to Pepper's room. She sat down by her mirror, and sighed. "I just wish her dad could be here for the wedding." Betty waved her hand. "He doesn't deserve to be here! He left you, remember?" "Well, that's only because he didn't know she was pregnant!" Peggy said as she came over to comfort her. "But you'll be the one walking Natasha down the isle, and you love her more than any Dad could." Pepper nodded. "You're right. I never want to see them again!"

Back outside, Natasha, Jane, and Darcy were contemplating what to write in the letter by the dock, feet in the water. "Try to make it sound like her, at least," said Jane, biting her nails. "I will. And stop biting your nails," Natasha slapped her hand away from her mouth. "Make it sound like a love letter," said Darcy dreamily.

"All it's going to say is: Hello, Name, I would like you to come for my daughter's wedding." "What if the whole daughter thing scares him off?" asked Darcy. "It won't if he really cares!"

They all high fived, and got busy writing one letter to each, mimicking Pepper's writing language. When they were done, Natasha bit her lip, and put them in the post. "I'm finally going to meet my dad!"

The next day, the letters arrived at their destinations.

Back in New York City, Steve Rogers woke up to check the mail. He brought it upstairs to his 3rd floor apartment, yawning as he walked up the stairs. When he got it, he opened it. His face lit up as he realized who it was from. Pepper! He never imagined hearing from her! He smiled as he read through it, and put it down, immediately going to his room to pack.

Out in his little house in the rural area of New York, Bruce Banner went out to check his mailbox, and there was an envelope sitting there. He raised his eyebrows. He doesn't get very much mail normally.

He sat down at the table with his coffee, taking a sip as he opened the letter. He read through it carefully, before putting it down. He smiled to himself. He would love to see Pepper again! He went into his room to start packing his things.

Tony Stark was rushing around his condo, trying to get things ready for his day. As he scrambled downstairs, he quickly grabbed his stack of mail. He hailed a cab, and once he was in, settled down and began leafing through all his daily letters. "Bill…Bill….award….Bill….award…" he muttered to himself, tossing each down one at a time.

"Hold on. What's this?" he asked himself, intrigued. He opened the letter with Pepper's name on it, and skimmed over it. He grinned. He had been hoping that one day she would contact him again. He decided he would pack his things once he got home.

Back at the island, it was afternoon now, and Natasha and her friends were having fun on the beach. They were sun tanning when Clint and his friends came down to the beach as well.

"He-llo…" said Jane, lowering her sunglasses to look at one of Clint's friends. He had shorts and no shirt on, with blond hair blowing in the sea breeze and short, sandy stubble on his face. Natasha caught Darcy peeking over at his other friend, who opposite to the other man, had slick black hair, a smooth jaw line, and was leaner.

They came over, the blond man twirling a volleyball on his finger and Clint smiling his boyish, mischievous smile. He was wearing his favourite black sunglasses, and picked Natasha up from her seat on the lawn chair, kissing her. While they were kissing, the blonde man walked over to Jane, and introduced himself as Thor. She giggled flirtatiously, and he kissed her hand.

The raven haired man noticed that Darcy was looking at him, so he nodded a hello at her. Darcy sat up. "What, no kiss on the hand?" The man nervously laughed, and came over to her. He introduced himself as Loki.

When Nat and Clint were finished kissing, they invited the girls to play some beach volleyball with them, and they accepted. The boys started setting up the net, and Natasha leaned into her friends. "Should I tell him about the dads thing?" "Only if he gets suspicious," said Darcy, putting her hair up.

They spent a few hours playing volleyball, Clint, Natasha and Loki on one team and Thor, Jane and Darcy on the other. The other team won. Thor and Jane high fived, and he picked her up, going over to the bar. Darcy just laughed and shook her head at the two. She went over to Loki. "So… let's go for a walk," she said, trailing her finger around his back. He ran his fingers through his hair, and followed Darcy.

"Hey, I guess that leaves us," said Clint, wrapping his arm around Natasha's waist. She smiled, and looked off into the distance. They sat down on the beach, letting the waves wash over them. "Nat, you seem to be kind of… I don't know… not yourself," he said. "What do you mean?" "I mean, you were completely off your game at volleyball, you're the best athlete of all of us! And you don't seem to be… all here lately."

She took a deep breath. "Clint, there's something I need to tell you." His eyes widened. "What did I do? If I did something I'm so sorry, I love you so much, baby-" "No, no, it's nothing about us." He let out a breath of relief. "I did something yesterday that I'm kind of nervous and excited about at the same time."

"Are you pregnant?" he asked, looking scared. "No!" Natasha laughed. "Clint…. I invited my dad to the wedding."

He let that sink in. At first, Natasha couldn't tell whether he was angry or happy, or what. He finally looked at her. "I thought you didn't know who he was." She shifted around in his arms. "That's the thing. I invited… three possible dads."

This time, she could tell what he was thinking. He got up, and paced the beach in front of her, kicking up water as he went.

"Say something!" Natasha said. He looked down at her. "Does Pepper know?" Natasha shook her head. He let out an exasperated sigh, and sat back down. "Babe, you know she'll freak out when she finds out about this!" "I know, but I just need to find out who he is!" "Right before our wedding?!" "Yes!"

They sat in silence. "Please don't tell her," Natasha said. Clint hesitated. "I won't. I know how much this means to you. But you have to trust me too, Nat. Tell me these things before you do them! I'm getting married to you, after all. And," he continued, pulling her face close to his, "I love you." They kissed as the sun started to set. "Okay," Natasha whispered.

Suddenly Jane came running up to them. "Eeeee, Thor is so-" She stopped short as she saw them necking. "Oh god. Sorry. So sorry," she said, backing away, smacking her head. Natasha laughed, and Clint got up. "It's alright, I have to go anyway. Got a lot of planning to do with my buddies… speaking of which, where are they?"

Suddenly, Darcy and Loki emerged from the forest, in the middle of a heated make out session. They kept walking toward them, not noticing they were back on the beach. When Darcy finally opened her eyes, she stopped, and Loki opened his. They stood there awkwardly for a second, and then all of them burst out laughing.

"See you soon, Loki!" Darcy called as Clint and Loki walked off in search of Thor.

"Well!" said Jane, looking at Darcy. "That was steamy!" "I practically attacked him. I just hope the feeling's mutual," she retorted, shrugging. That was the thing that Natasha loved about Darcy. She wanted something, she went for it. Jane stared dreamily at the ocean. "Thor is amazing. He's so strong!"

"Well, I'm glad you two acquainted yourself with my fiancé's best friends!" Natasha said as they walked back, hands draped around each other's shoulders. "So did you tell Clint yet?" asked Jane. "Yes. Everything's fine. He won't tell Pepper."

From up in the house, Pepper was watching them out the window. She smiled. She was still feeling quite sad about her daughter leaving, but tried to force herself to be happy. Her daughter was getting married! She should be celebrating! But she couldn't help imagining how lonely she would be when Natasha was gone, running the hotel alone…

"Pepper!" shouted Peggy from the bathroom where her and Betty were doing their makeup. "Stop moping and get ready!" Betty joined in. "Yeah, you can't spend the rest of your pathetic miserable life watching other people's fun! Get out and have your own, darling!" she said with a dramatic hair flip as she made an entrance from the bathroom, swinging her pink feather boa.

Peggy came out next, strutting with her white high heeled boots and stomping one down in a model position. "This is going to be the best dance party you have ever seen!" The two friends stood back to back, and pretended they had microphones. "Because you are the star, so act like you are!" They both said in unison.

Pepper giggled at her immature friends. But their immaturity was what kept her going. She jumped in, and joined them. "And stars go FAR!" they all shouted together. It was part of one of their favourite songs. Betty started the music, and they began their indoor dance party.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Natasha woke up to her friends shaking her. "Today's the day! The day **they** arrive!" squealed Jane, and Darcy grinned. Natasha rubbed her eyes, and realized they were right! The three men were going to arrive today.

She jumped out of bed. "We have to make absolutely sure that Pepper doesn't see them!" "Got it covered," said Darcy, "There's a space for them in the old barn house where you store the extra mats and things." "Okay."

Back on the mainland in New York City, Steve and Tony were both rushing to the boat dock in cabs, Steve in a blue one and Tony in a red one. They were both late, and the whistle sounded on the travelling boat as they hopped out at the same time. Steve set his hands on his hips, and Tony shielded his eyes from the sun, stuffing his other hand in his pocket, sighing in frustration.

"What are you going for?" asked Tony. "Wedding. I'm gonna miss it at this rate…" Tony looked over to Steve. "Me too. Bride or Groom?" "Bride. You?" "Bride…" "Pepper?" "Yeah."

They stood there for a second in silence. "I'm Tony," he extended a hand. "Steve," Steve shook it. They breathed out, looking out to the open water. "Well," said Tony, "How are we gonna get there now?"

Just then, a motorcycle pulled up behind them. "You guys need a lift to the island?" They turned around. "In that?" asked Steve. The guy on the motorcycle laughed. "No. In that," he said, pointing out to a small boat tied up to the dock.

They got on, and started to pull away. "So, you're going for Pepper too, I guess?" asked the man. The other two nodded. "I'm Bruce, by the way. Bruce Banner." He shook both their hands. "I didn't know she had a daughter," said Tony. "It was a surprise," admitted Steve, "But a pleasant one." Bruce nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, they all looked to each other. "Wait… if all of us are here, and Pepper has a daughter, then… which one of us is her dad? And why would she invite all three of us?" asked Bruce. They had no idea.

They finally got to the island about half an hour later, and tied the ship up to the dock. They started to walk up the steps to the house, when out of nowhere, three young women jumped out from the forest beside them. "Wait," said one of them with red hair. "Wait? Why?" asked Steve. They motioned for them to follow them into the forest, and the three men did so.

"Who are you?" asked Tony, confused. "I'm Natasha. Pepper's daughter." The three men looked at each other. They introduced themselves. "I'm Tony." "I'm Steve." "I'm Bruce." Natasha grinned excitedly. "This is a dream come true. Really, I've wanted to meet you my whole life!"

The men smiled at this, and looked around, picking up their suitcases. "So. Where's Pepper?" asked Steve. "Yeah," said Tony, smiling, "I can't wait to see her!" They started walking back to the steps, but Natasha blocked their way. "Um… there's something you guys don't know." Tony crossed his arms, Steve raised an eyebrow, and Bruce scratched his head. "Pepper… doesn't actually know that you're here. I sent the invites."

There was an outburst of protest. "I took time off my work to come here," Tony said. "Why didn't you just tell us that?" asked Steve. Bruce just smiled at her. "I admire your bravery to do that, Natasha, but you should've told us first. If Pepper doesn't want us here, that's her choice!" Natasha shook her head. "I know. But she'll be glad I invited you. Over time," she said as the six slunk through the forest up the back way to the house, girls leading the guys into the storage house.

"But for now, we need you to stay here." They showed them up into the attic of the storage room, and set up some pillows. "Just set your stuff out up here, and get comfortable." They tried to protest again, but Natasha looked up at them with puppy eyes. "Please. Do it for Pepper. Promise you won't tell her?" They all looked at each other, and reluctantly nodded. "Thank you so much!" She said.

The three climbed down the ladder, and sealed the floor entrance. They tugged the string through the peg hole to fully close it.

They were laughing and high fiving each other, happy about what just happened, but then they hear rustling and noises outside, the sound of a woman's voice getting closer. "I just have to get this out," said the voice, very close to the room now. "Quick!" whispered Natasha, and the three girls jumped behind a stack of old clothes.

Just as they did so, the door opened, and Pepper came in, followed by Betty and Peggy. "Hm. That's weird. The door was unlocked…" she said slowly, looking around. Natasha, Jane, and Darcy lowered their heads even further.

Pepper searched around for what she needed, and as she found it, she heard a bump from above, then the sound of someone shushing. She frowned, and looked around again. Natasha silently hoped her mom hadn't heard it.

"Come on, Pep, we want to go down to the bar," said Peggy. "Yeah, I'll be out in a second," Pepper called back, walking slowly over to where the sound came from. She looked around, then up. She peeked through the peg hole with the string, and she couldn't believe what she saw.

There, sitting in her storage attic, were the three men she never, EVER wanted to see again.

There was Steve… she thought noticing the light blonde hair…. There was Bruce… she thought, noticing next his trademark purple shirt with the cuffs rolled up. And there, sitting in the middle, was…. She gasped. Tony!

She jumped down from the peg hole, covering her mouth. Her head was spinning. How was this even possible?! She didn't know what to do… what could she do? She couldn't have them on her land! No, she decided, they needed to go. Now.

She climbed up again, and contemplated just running away, back upstairs, away from everything… but she had to do this. She opened the door on the floor. "Why are you here?!" Steve jumped at the loud sound of the opening door, then realizing who it was, they all grinned. "Hey Pepper-" started Bruce. "Don't 'Hey Pepper' me, Bruce! And Steve, wipe that smile off your face!"

Tony looked guiltily down at her. "Look, Pep, I know it's weird, us being in your attic and such, but you don't know the whole story- " She cut him off with a look of angry disbelief. "And you! YOU! Don't you dare call me Pep. Don't even… just… AGH!" she threw her hands up, wobbling backward . They all reached out and grabbed her arm, saving her from the fall. She was about to say thank you, but then realizing what was happening, swatted their hands away.

"Why the HELL are all of you in my attic?!" she asked, crossing her arms. "Well, you see…" Steve was about to continue, but remembered the promise. "We, uh, can't tell you." Pepper rolled her eyes. "Yes. Yes, you can't tell me why you are IN MY STORAGE ATTIC!" She shook her head. "You know, I don't even care why you're here. All I care about is you leaving. Like now."

They looked back and forth. "But-" "No. You need to leave."

They half-heartedly sighed, and nodded sadly. They had to admit, their meeting was under unusual circumstances, and, well, it could have gone much better. But Pepper was clear in her want for them to leave. So they got their things together, and hopped down, starting to leave out the back way they had come.

Pepper stormed out the front of the place past her friends, hot tears rolling down her cheeks. Betty and Peggy looked at each other. "Wait! Pepper, wait! What's going on?!" They chased her up the steps to the house.

Back in the storage house, Natasha, Jane, and Darcy rose guiltily from behind the clothes. "That didn't go well…" said Darcy. Jane shook her head. "We have to follow them!" Natasha shouted. So off the three ran, following the men through the forest.

Pepper ran into her room, throwing herself on the bed. She started bawling into a pillow as her friends came in. "Darling, darling, what's wrong?" asked Peggy. Betty came and sat beside her, stroking her hair. "What is it, honey?"

Pepper sat up, hair sticking to her tear stained face. "I have a secret." The two friends looked at each other, then back at Pepper, waiting for the explanation. "I don't know who Natasha's dad is… because there are three possible dads."

They stared for a second. "You could have told us a long time ago! That was a big burden to bear!" said Betty, and Peggy nodded. "But it gets worse. I just found them in my storage attic."

Their eyes widened, and they looked at each other, jumping up and taking off running down to the storage house. "No! NO!" shouted Pepper, running after them in desperation.

When they reached the place, Betty and Peggy poked their heads in and around the attic. "Hm. No one here!" Peggy said sadly. "They must've left…" groaned Betty. An out of breath Pepper came to the door. "They're gone. I told them to get out. I don't want Natasha meeting them!"

They went over to her, to comfort as they made their way back to Pepper's room. "I just can't get away from it!" She started to cry again. "Why did they come back now? They're going to ruin my daughter's wedding!" "But they're gone!" "Oh, they'll come back. At least one of them will. God, I know them too well. I wish they would just leave me alone…"

Peggy held up a manicured finger. "Hold on. I'll be right back." Pepper sniffed as she sat down on her bed.

A few minutes later, Peggy returned with a giant cocktail, and gave it to Pepper, who took a big swig. Betty dried her face while Peggy worked the tangles out of her hair. Pepper looked up. "Maybe I'm just a stupid tramp who was too friendly when I was younger."

"Now, that's your mother talking. You know that's not true." Pepper reluctantly agreed, and took another sip of the drink. "Mmm, what is this?" "Blue Hawaiian!" Peggy answered, "Good right? I took a sip on the way up!" They all laughed.

Back down at the boat dock, Tony, Bruce and Steve were throwing their things back into Bruce's boat with a rather defeated look. Suddenly, the three girls rushed out, and Natasha grabbed the rope from Steve's hands. "No, you can't leave!" "Natasha, we have to go, Pepper told us she didn't want us on the island!" Tony said.

"Please, it means so much to me that you came. Just stay until the wedding. Please? Don't leave!" She begged. The men looked at each other. "Alright," said Bruce. They smiled. "But she's going to find out sooner or later it was you who invited us!" said Steve, grinning. "Let's make that later rather than sooner, shall we?" asked Natasha, and they all laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

"Why don't we go for a sail, Natasha? All of us can get to know you better!" offered Bruce, and Natasha nodded. "I'd love that, Bruce."

Jane and Darcy waved goodbye from the dock as Natasha and the guys started off, and once they had left, the two looked at each other. They obviously had the same thought, and took off running in search of Clint's two best friends.

As they floated overtop clear, turquoise water, Bruce started to teach Natasha how to sail. "I taught your mom too," he said. "So, you take this rope, and you string it around here, which makes the sails change," he explained. After she learned that, they all sat down with some sandwiches Tony had packed.

Steve took out a sketch book. "I drew your mom when we were younger," he said, smiling as he passed Natasha the book to see. She looked at him in awe. "Oh my god, Steve, you're really good!" He blushed. "Thanks." The picture looked exactly like Pepper. "I actually designed the blueprints for your house. Pepper always dreamed of living on an island." Natasha grinned.

Tony took out a guitar from his stuff. "You play?" asked Natasha. "Well, kinda," he said with a mouth twitch. "I learned a long time ago, and your actually bought me this guitar."

He played a few scales, and laughed. "I'm a little out of practice…" Natasha smiled. "No, you're really good, Tony."

They had fun together on the boat, the three men sharing their memories of Pepper, and talking about all things in general. A few hours later, Natasha felt like she truly knew them all well. Steve _was_ protective and secretly sensitive, Bruce was incredibly smart and caring, and Tony was so funny and easy to be around.

They were laughing at something when Natasha noticed they were approaching the island again, and saw Clint waving. She told the guys she had to go, and they all waved. "Let's do it again sometime!" called out Tony, and the others nodded. Natasha agreed, and started swimming over to the beach shore where Clint was.

"Hi beautiful!" he said, kissing her. She kissed back. "So, were those your possible dads?" he asked, smirking at the words. "Yes," Natasha giggled. "I don't know which of them is my real dad. They all seem so… I don't know… right!" "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough," he said. He splashed her with water, and she cried out, splashing him back. It turned into an all out war, and they tackled each other into the sea.

It was late afternoon now, and Pepper was at the bar with Peggy and Betty. She had had a long day, and was exhausted. But it did feel good to get the secret off her chest.

The bachelor and bachelorette parties were tomorrow night, and there was still so much planning to do. She would take care of it tomorrow, with the help of her friends.

The next day, Pepper woke up with a feeling of worry. She was starting to think Natasha didn't want to get married anymore, because of the weird way she acted whenever she was around her. She decided she would find time to talk to her about it today.

She pulled back the curtains and opened the window, looking around the pretty scenery. Suddenly, she saw something that caught her eye. Was that… Tony, Bruce, and Steve on their boat?!

Pepper whipped around, and screamed. Betty woke up from her spot on the floor, and Peggy woke up from the chair, still tightly gripping the martini glass she held. "Wha- what is it?" slurred Betty drowsily. "They're back. Just like I said they would be. I CALLED IT!" she screamed again, and Peggy got up.

"Pep, don't worry. We've got it covered." Betty grinned as she got up. "We'll take care of them, keep them busy."

Pepper smiled at the thought of what her friends would do.

Peggy and Betty linked arms and walked out. They made their way across the beach, where Natasha was talking with Clint about the wedding, Jane was swimming with Thor, and Darcy and Loki were attempting to cliff dive. (It was Darcy's idea.)

The two women waved at the boat, and started swimming out. Natasha noticed this, and got a nervous feeling. But she trusted the men to keep her secret.

Betty lifted herself up onto the boat, and Peggy after her. Bruce was sitting there, eating breakfast. Betty eyed him with raised eyebrows. He was good looking. "Hey, I'm Betty Ross. Are you Bruce, Steve, or Tony?" He cracked a smile. "I'm Bruce."

Suddenly, someone emerged from the bottom deck with nothing but a towel, and wiped his face dry. He opened his eyes, and they widened. He blushed, and covered up with the towel. "Uh… I'm Steve."

Peggy's mouth dropped open as she stared at his biceps, abs, and perfectly defined abs. Betty nudged her. "Well, I guess you got him, and I got Brucey." She nodded, half paying attention. Bruce laughed.

Steve came over, and introduced himself properly to Peggy, and so did she. They started talking, and Betty went over to sit with Bruce. "So, where's Tony?" "He left and went up to the island a few minutes ago. I don't know where he was going."

Betty sighed. "That can't be good. Oh well, maybe if Pepper sees him, it'll awaken something." Bruce looked at her. "Want to stay for some breakfast?" he asked, and Betty moved closer. "Love too. You're a sweet guy. I like you Bruce."

Over with Peggy and Steve, she smiled as she 'accidentally' gripped onto his flexed arm when she wobbled on deck. "Wanna go on an adventure Steve?" "I'm all for it!" "Follow me."

As Bruce was serving Betty some of his homemade breakfast, Peggy pulled Steve down into the water. Before she did, she grabbed two surfboards, and planned to use them.

She stood on top of one, and Steve looked uneasily up at her. "What?" she asked playfully, "I thought you liked adventure!"

Steve nodded, swallowed, and pulled himself up onto the other board. They paddled out a little more, and after a while, Steve finally got onto a board. Just as he was steadying himself on the board, Loki and Darcy jumped from the cliff and sent a huge wave of water over Steve, causing him to splash back into the sea. Peggy laughed, and helped him up.

Natasha was walking by the house, and Pepper came out. "Hey sweetie!" she said, and Natasha smiled. "Hey, mom. What's up?" "I'm just so proud of you. I'm going to miss you so much…. Look Natasha…. I'm your mother, and I get the feeling you don't want to get married." She decided to be blunt about it.

"What?! How dare you say that to me?! I'm in love with Clint, and I want to get married to him and spend the rest of my life with him!" Pepper looked down. "Are you truly ready, honey?" Natasha laughed. "You are unbelievable. You're just jealous that I have a husband, and you can't even choose between three men!"

Natasha quickly covered her mouth, as she just revealed the secret. Her words stung Pepper, but she gasped. "You knew about them?" Natasha took a deep breath, and nodded. "I… I invited them." She cringed, waiting for a loud and angry reaction. But Pepper just stood there, tears welling in her eyes.

"Mom, I'm-" Pepper turned, and walked back into the house. "God, fine then!" Natasha stormed down to the beach where Clint was.

Pepper sobbed silently to herself. She didn't leave because she was angry at her daughter, she left because she couldn't deal with everything that was coming to light. Her life was perfectly fine before the three men came in, and to find out Natasha was involved?

There was a knock at her door. "Pep?" It was Betty. "Yeah?" The door clicked open, and Betty had a sympathetic look on her face. "Pep, what's wrong? I saw you run up here." Pepper sniffed. "Natasha knew about them. She freaking invited them."

Betty bit her lip, and sat back. She didn't know what to say. Pepper cried for a few more minutes with Betty's comfort, then wiped her nose. "Where's Peggy?" "Ha. Down playing with Steve. We kept them busy, like we said. I must say," she leaned in closer, "Bruce is quite the sweetheart."

Pepper laughed. "He is."

A few hours later, it was time for the party. The cocktails were all ready, and the disco lights were on. The waves on the beach crashed softly, and a warm breeze blew through the trees.

Natasha arrived, after one last kiss from Clint, with Jane and Darcy on either arm. They were dressed to impress, and party the night away!

Natasha hadn't told her friends about the confrontation with her mom, there was no point. It was stupid, anyway.

The music started, and everyone began dancing. "Whew!" Jane yelled, and Darcy laughed as she ordered a round of shots for them.

"One, two, three, GO!" they yelled, and downed their third round. Jane didn't know how to hold her alcohol very well, and was beginning to hiccup.

Natasha high fived them, and they ordered another. Suddenly, the music went low, the lights went dim, and the microphone came over. "Attention, Ladies…" said a voice, "This party is about to be taken over," said another voice, this one British, then a third voice came out as three spotlights flashed on.

"By Pepper and the Hot Chillies!" yelled her mom, and her, Betty and Peggy struck a pose. "Mom!" cried Natasha. "I didn't think you'd come!" "Oh, darling, I wouldn't miss my daughter's bachelorette party for the world!"

They started some music, and began to sing. Everyone danced around, and sang with them.

A couple of hours later, it was about midnight by now, when they were all thoroughly drunk, the party was crashed by the guys, all dressed in Chippendale outfits. Clint led them up to the patio, and they all grabbed a girl and started dancing with them.

"Oh yeah!" yelled Darcy, and pulled Loki's lean body close to hers. Thor picked up Jane, and she snorted and laughed drunkenly. Clint spun Natasha around, and they all jumped to the music. After a bit, the dancing died down a bit, but the party was far from over.

Natasha saw Bruce standing by the ocean on the overlook, seeming thoughtful. She went over, and he greeted her.

"Hey, Bruce!" "Hey, Natasha. I've been thinking… I think I'm your real dad!" Natasha stopped, and grinned. "Oh my god! Really?!" "Yes. I'd like to give you away tomorrow." "This is wonderful, I…yes! Okay!" "Great!" he smiled, and they hugged.

Natasha went over to the patio where her friends were dancing, and saw Steve at the bar. "Hey Steve," she said, sitting down next to him. "Oh, Natasha! I'm so glad I've found you- I think I'm your real father!"

Natasha's breath caught, and she coughed. "Uh… really?" "Yes, in fact I'm sure of it!" "That's… awesome!" "May I give you away tomorrow, Natasha?" "Yes!" "Great! I've always wanted a daughter to spoil!" They hugged, and Natasha walked away to get some air.

She saw Tony standing by a tree, leaning against it. "Natasha," he said softly, walking over to her. "Yes…?" she asked slowly. "I've got something to confess. I think I'm your dad." Natasha's stomach twisted up, and she immediately felt sick.

"R-really?" "Yeah. Cool right? A daughter… wow." Natasha stumbled. "You okay?" "Yeah, fine." "Can I give you away tomorrow?" She breathed in. "Yes." "Cool. Come here," he said, wrapping her in a tight hug. His goatee scratched her forehead.

Natasha stumbled her way back to the patio, bright lights and loud music swirling around her. She turned in circles, her friends' and guests' laughing faces spinning around her. She suddenly felt very lightheaded, and everything that had happened caught up with her.

She didn't know what to do… she had just promised three different men that they could give her away, and now she was trapped. Everything around her became a blur, and she faded to black as she passed out and hit the ground.

Natasha groaned as she rolled over, and looked at the clock. It was 3 in the morning, and she was exhausted. She was in her bed, probably put there by her friends or her mom. She got up, and walked out on the balcony. She got her hairbrush, and began brushing her short curly hair in the breeze.

She closed her eyes. She had an uneasy feeling whenever she thought about tomorrow, like she was doing something terribly wrong. She didn't know whether it was caused by the father thing, or…. Clint.

Don't get me wrong, she loved Clint… but was her mom right? Was she really not ready for marriage? The thoughts that came into her head scared her, and she hung her head in her hands. No, she decided, it would cause too much uproar after everything if I pulled out now.

So she got back into bed, swallowed the lump in her throat, and fell into a very troubled sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Natasha woke up to her door being opened quietly. She squinted her eyes to see who it was, and saw it was her mom.

Pepper smiled. "I didn't mean to wake you prematurely, my beauty queen," she said, and sat on the edge of the bed. Natasha sat up. "That's alright, mom…. Look, I'm really sorry for what I did. I regret it all now. It didn't do any good for either of us." Pepper shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's all in the past now."

Natasha got up, and Pepper sat behind her, brushing her hair out. She helped her get ready as she sang softly in her ear. When they were done, her mom stood up to admire her. "Oh, Natasha. You look beautiful," she said, eyes welling up.

They hugged tightly, and made their way down to the temple. She was to get married in the temple of Aphrodite, atop many hundreds of stairs by the beach. As they reached it, Pepper saw someone standing by the trees, and stopped. "You go ahead, Tasha, I'll catch up," she whispered. Natasha nodded, wondering why she was staying back.

She ran up the stairs, carrying her brides dress, and when she reached the top, Jane and Darcy were sitting on the bench outside the chapel in their bridesmaids dresses. They squealed with delight as she approached. She looked inside, and Bruce and Steve were already there.

"Oh my GOD!" shrieked Jane, "You look GORGEOUS!" "You so do, Nat!" said Darcy, hugging her.

"Thank you!" Natasha said, and they all laughed together, waiting on the bench for the ceremony to start.

Back at the bottom of the stairs, Pepper walked over to the man standing there. It was Tony Stark, and she knew it. He stepped out. "I knew it was you all along," she said quietly, and he nodded. "I know." She looked up.

"Why did you leave? I had to raise a child all on my own for twenty years! Not that I minded, Natasha and I were fine on our own. But it would've been nice if she had a dad, Tony!" She turned her back to him.

He came up close behind her, and she felt his breath on her neck. "I never meant to hurt you, Pepper," he whispered, and she scoffed, turning around to face him. "Don't give me that. You could have come back. It's too late, Tony. My daughter's grown up, and I'm passed the point of love now."

"But we can change that! I still love you as much as I did that day…" She smiled sadly.

"I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through. Though it still hurts me deep inside, it's all history now. I trusted you, you held me in your arms, and nothing else in the world seemed to matter. But when you left, all of that was taken away from me, and I fell to pieces.

The Fates are cruel, Tony, and taking you away from me was the worst thing I had ever experienced. I loved you… and I still do now," she uttered out, "But our love is impossible now. I can't give myself to anyone in the same way."

Tony's lip trembled despite himself, and he wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist. "Pep, let me embrace you, and show you what it is to love again. I'm so sorry for leaving, but if you trust me now, I will never let you down as long as I live. _I promise_."

Pepper looked at him for a second, but shook her head, and tears ran down her face as she ran up the stairs. Tony knew better than to chase her.

Up at the temple, the minister was holding his book, and Clint was standing beside him in a black groom's tuxedo.

The organ music started to play, and Pepper held Natasha's hand as they took the first step into the wedding. Natasha's eyes were nervous as she walked, and she was tense under her mother's hold. Pepper noticed this, but said nothing.

The minister cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today…"

His voice faded out in Natasha's ears as she looked into the audience. There was Auntie Betty and Auntie Peggy, smiling supportively, her excited friends holding flowers, Clint's friends giving him a thumbs up, and there was Bruce and Steve behind them, ready to do what the father figure does at weddings.

Suddenly, her nerves just exploded. She couldn't go through with this.

"Wait!" she suddenly cried out, and everyone looked at her. Her hands were shaking, and she turned to Clint. "Let's…let's not get married!"

Clint gave a look of disbelief. "What?" "I just…. I just don't think we should get married. Let's take some time, and go for a trip around the world together first!" There was a stunned silence, and after a minute, Natasha was beginning to feel very self conscious, and felt like she wanted to cry.

She felt Pepper's reassuring grasp on her arm, and she relaxed a little, waiting for Clint's reaction. He looked down at the floor, and who knows what he was thinking. What a terrible person she is, why would she be doing this on her wedding, she feared he was thinking.

But it was all forgotten when he took her hand and kissed it. "My Natasha," he said, "We'll do whatever you want to do." She grinned widely, and they kissed. Everyone started clapping, still rather surprised at what happened.

"Well, we can't waste a good wedding!" said Betty after a few seconds of clapping. She looked straight at Pepper, and raised an eyebrow. Pepper opened her mouth in a gasp, and Tony appeared at the door.

He walked in with his charming smirk, stopped in front of her, and began to sing their song for each other from when they were young.

"Love me or leave me, make your choice, but believe me. I love you…. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do."

Pepper let out a surprised noise, and blinked.

Tony continued in his charming, off-key singing voice. "I can't conceal it, don't you see, can't you feel it? Don't you too?" He paused, and waited with baited breath.

Betty, Peggy, Natasha, Clint, and everyone else in the temple looked at Pepper awaiting her response. She swallowed, feeling her stomach knot. But something in her mind, her heart just clicked in that moment. There was one feeling she couldn't contain inside of her. Her true love for Tony Stark.

"I- I do!"

She looked at him. "I do, I do, I do, I do, I do…." She sang back, rushing into his arms. Everyone cheered.

The wedding wasn't wasted in the least. Pepper and Tony were married that day, and the after ceremony was wonderful.

"I'd like to propose a toast," said Tony, standing up with his champagne. "To a long life with my beautiful wife, and a prosperous relationship for Clint and Natasha." Everyone raised their glass, and drank to it.

As Bruce set his glass down, Betty leaned in beside him. "Hey, Brucey," she sing-songed. He turned, and smiled. "Since you're single now… I'm the first in line. Honey, I'm still free… take a chance on me!"

He grinned, and stood up. "Betty, I'd love nothing more." The two of them kissed and walked down to the beach.

Peggy turned to Steve. "Well, that leaves us, hot stuff. Steve laughed. "Will you be mine, Miss Carter?" he asked timidly. She kissed him on the spot in answer to his question. Pepper smiled at her friend's matches, and kissed her own husband. She'd secretly been wanting to do that forever.

Thor swept Jane off her feet into a tight hug. Loki finally took the reigns with Darcy and pulled her into a passionate embrace, validating his feelings in return for hers. Darcy's eyes grew wider than ever, and she exploded inside.

Natasha turned to Clint. "Well, love is sure in the air tonight!" Clint smiled. "Yeah, it is. You know, Tasha, I'm glad you did what you did today. Your honesty, among other things, is what makes me love you so much."

As the fountains of Aphrodite started spraying in the night air in celebration of the wedding, he leaned in, and the two locked their lips in a love that was sure to last a lifetime.


End file.
